The Lord of the Decoder Rings
by krossfire
Summary: The Friendship of the Decoder Rings: The Ring of Power wants to return back to his Master! A modern retelling of a fantasy story set in the contemporary world.
1. Prologue

_Preface:_ I've done Action/Adventure, Humor, Drama, and Romance fanfics. Now it's time for me to write a parody fanfic featuring a certain cartoon show we all love and and a certain movie that's fun to watch during a lazy afternoon. The setting of this story is not in Middle-Earth, but a familiar place that we've come to know so well. The City. And this fic follows the movie rather than the book, so the purists and elitists out there will have plenty of reasons to complain. :) Much of the dialogue is from the movie, with thanks to the transcripts I found on the net. And finally, the characters will play different roles and ally with different factions throughout the story.

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**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 1: Prologue

"_The City is changed…_

_I feel it in the water…_

_I feel it in the earth…_

_I smell it in the air…"_

"_Much that one was is lost. For none now live remember it."_

"_It began in 60 years ago during the Great Depression in a Cereal Company with the forging of the great decoder rings as a final effort to save their business. Some were given to the fourth graders - calm and mostly wisest of all elementary school children."_

A group of unknown fourth graders from the 30's, three of them, held their hand in the air, showing the decoder ring on their fingers.

"_Others were to the sixth grader lords - great obnoxious people who can't wait to go to middle school."_

There were seven sixth graders standing in a circle, picking up the rings on a table in front of them.

"_While the rest, were given to the fifth graders - who above all else, desire power."_

Large, bulky children, all nine of them, stood within each other like a formation of bowling pins, with a ring in their hands.

"_For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each grade. But they were all deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of that company, inside the comforts of the CEO's office, he forged in a secret master Ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to grab as much profit as he could get."_

"_One Ring to rule them all."_

"_One by one, children rich and poor fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. An alliance of the company's employees and the children's parents marched against riot police on the slopes of the Cereal Factory they fought for jobs and higher wages."_

And in front of the gates to the Cereal Company, there was a vast mob of people and a group of riot police on the grounds to the entrance. The workers and parents shouted angrily at the police, taunting them, as the cops snarl back, trying to keep the peace. Not waiting any further, the Alliance of workers and parents began to attack the riot police, rushing across the paved road that separated the two groups. The riot police chief gave the command to his men to engage.

"Beat them up only when they're attacking you!" shouted the chief.

The riot police raised their batons and riot shields, and waited for the angry mob to engage with them. As the wave of the first angry mob reached the first line of the troops, the riot police swung their batons down, beating the mob as they come, one after the other. Soon the parents, the workers and the riot police engaged in battle altogether. But alas, the mob was all too powerful for the riot police to handle.

"_Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone."_

The Cereal Company CEO strode onto the battlefield, and the workers looked at him in trepidation. The Dark Lord, towering the parents and the workers, brandished his cane and showed them the Decoder Ring of Power glowing on his finger. In fear, some of the workers back off. All the energy and power that assisted them in the riot were gone, because they were scared and intimidated by the sheer fierceness of CEO's look on his face. The CEO lifted his cane, pointed to a random worker and then pointed him to the street, indicating that he got fired. He repeated it again to another person. A parent who had enough of this shenanigan, attacked the CEO, but the CEO caught him in time and pinned him onto the fence. Horrified, his wife ran to her husband.

"_It was in this moment when all hope had faded, the wife gave the CEO a slap."_

The Decoder Ring of Power instantaneously flew out from the CEO's finger. The CEO let out a cry as the Ring separated from him. He went back into his office, sending a wave of confusion and perplexity through the rioters.

"_The CEO, failed to meet expected profits for the month, not to mention was unpopular amongst his workers, filed for bankruptcy. The Ring then passed to the wife and then to her son, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. The Decoder Ring of Power had a will of its own. It betrayed the son and left him. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend, legend became myth and for 60 years, the Decoder Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer."_

"My ppprrrrrreeciousssssss…"

"_The Ring came to the creature Curly, who took it deep into the bowels of his abode. And there, it consumed him."_

"It came to me, my own, my love, my own, my prrrreciousssssssss. _Curly!_" Curly said to himself, as he rubbed and caressed the Ring repeatedly.

"_The Ring brought to Curly unnatural mind alteration. For five hundred hours it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Curly's room, it waited. Darkness crept back into the concrete forest of the city. Rumor grew of a shadow in the east, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Decoder Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Curly."_

The Ring fell down from Curly's room through the window and made its way to the sidewalk.

"_But something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable."_

"What's this?" an old person said as she picked it up from the sidewalk. "A ring? Hey, it kinda looks like one of those decoder rings that one cereal company used to make when I was a little girl." It was Grandma Gerthie.

"LLLLLLLOOOSSSSSSSSTTTTT!" Curly cried from his room, as he overturned every single thing that can be overturned to search for the ring, "My precious is lost!"

"Woops, time to go!" And Grandma fled.

"_For the time soon come they will shape the fortunes of all."_

---

"So how you guys like my narration?" Rhonda asked, "Better than Gerald, huh?" she asked again enthusiastically with a broad smile, eagerly anticipating for a constructive comment. But most of her classmates were either bored or nearly asleep. "Aw, c'mon!" she raised her voice.

"Rhonda," Stinky said, "I know you hate Curly and all, but do ya _have _to make up all these elaborate stories just so ya could bash the poor kid?"

"Yeah," Gerald nodded, "Somehow, it kinda explains why he ain't in class for several days already."

"Now children, calm down. Let's not point our fingers around." Mr. Simmons interjected, "Rhonda, I was expecting a report about the city's history, but unfortunately you apparently had something else in mind."

"Mr. Simmons, please." She appealed back, "This is not a made-up story. What happened to the cereal factory sixty years ago is true! I heard it from my grandpa myself that it was that very cereal company that made all those rare, novelty decoder ring – which I heard can fetch up to 20,000 bucks nowadays."

"Yeah…" Mr. Simmons replied back, pondering, "Now that you mentioned it, I think I have heard of the Ring of Power from my father when I was your age. But then again, he said it was all a hoax. There's no such thing as a 'Ring of Power'. Therefore, what have you presented just now was just an urban legend that doesn't have any credible sources whatsoever and cannot be accounted as the city's history."

Rhonda produced a sad face, knowing her presentation was rejected.

"I suggest if you still want to make a report about the cereal company, you should present to us how it affected the city's economy during the Great Depression, so I'll give you a chance to redo your assignment, and I expect you to turn in your report on Monday after the weeklong school vacation. Okay, next up: Sheena."

The bell rang.

"Well class, I guess we have to continue this after the break." Mr. Simmons said. "Have a fun, meaningful vacation everyone!" he exclaimed, as the kids shouted joyfully.

And so Gerald walked out with his best friend Arnold to the bus stop, talking to each other, "Man, oh, man! One week's worth of vacation! It's not long but it'll be worthwhile. So, what are your plans, man?" he asked.

"Spend some quality time with Grandpa, that's for sure." Arnold replied back, smiling at him.

"I thought your gramps went over to Florida for some get-together with his old platoon buddies or something."

"Yeah, but he's coming back today. I can't wait to see him again." He smiled broadly.

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I have nothing witty to say, but I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review.  



	2. The Ring Revealed

_Author's Note: _The reason why I don't update this story for a long while is because I have second thoughts about this story, since it's not original at all. But hey, as long I have support, I'll continue to write this. Tell me what you think.

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**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 2: The Ring Revealed

_The Sunset Arms Boarding House… 60 minutes later._

Arnold was playing his portable videogame on the stoop of his house when suddenly he heard a car coming towards him. He then switched his videogame off and stood up, listening to it. Recognizing the engine sound, he smiled broadly and walked up to the sidewalk and saw an old green car, with an old man in it.

"You're late!" Arnold said, crossing his arms.

The old man didn't look at Arnold first, but then he began to turn slowly at him, with an emphatic expression on his face that began to twitch, "An old man is never late, Shortman! Nor is he early. He arrives at whenever he darned well please!"

The gaze was long, but then the both of them began to grin and finally cracked up with laughter. Arnold then opened the car door up and immediately hugged the old man. "It's wonderful to see you again Grandpa!"

"Oh, c'mon Arnold!" Grandpa laughed, "You didn't think I'd miss your Grandma's birthday?" _"Actually I wanna but the woman scares me…" _he closed the door, and brought the car around the corner to the garage.

"What's the news in Florida, Grandpa?" Arnold asked as he helped his grandfather with the luggage, "Tell me everything."

"Everything? Far too eager and curious for a fourth grader. Are you feeling well?" Grandpa said as he picked up the last luggage and closed the door, "Well what can I tell ya? Old people here and there, Nickelodeon Studios is closing down, election humor still lingering about…" To Grandpa's surprise, he could see the neighborhood busy preparing for Grandma's birthday party in an alley somewhere. They clean, sweep, set up, and remove obstacles to make the place spotless.

"They're doing it in an alley?" Grandpa said in surprise, "How thoughtful of them! Hmm, well now that should please her."

"Half of the neighborhood is invited."

"Good gracious me!"

"She's up to something."

"O RLY?" Grandpa replied back, as if an owl looking at him incredulously.

Arnold chuckled, looking at his grandfather back, "YA RLY! All right then, keep your secrets." As they made their way into the house, the borders then noticed of Grandpa's presence, and they immediately went up to him.

"Grandpa! Did you buy any gifts?" Mr. Hyunh asked.

"Hey, do you have anything for me, grandpa?" Mr. Kokoshka pleaded.

"Hey Gramps, do ya have any souvenirs for me?" Mr. Potts asked.

"What about me, Grandpa?" Mrs. Kokoshka asked too. But all their pleas and inquiry were ignored by Grandpa, as he didn't say a word about it, much to Arnold's surprise, leaving the boarders disappointed.

"Aawwwwwww…" the all said in chorus, disappointed. However, Grandpa was only pretending. He then put a bag full of cheap souvenirs in the middle of the hallway, and the borders cheered wildly. "YAY GRANDPA!"

Upon arriving at Grandpa's bedroom, Arnold put the bags down and said to his grandfather, "Grandpa, I'm glad you're back."

And as Arnold walked away to his bedroom, Grandpa replied, "So am I, dear boy. So am I." Grandpa then knocked the door to his bedroom, waiting for an answer from his wife.

"Arnold, is that you? Don't come in just yet! You're_ not_ going to be happy if you enter right now, when you see the state I'm in…"

"What? Even your spouse can't come in too?" Grandpa replied, and Grandma quickly put her clothes on and answered the door.

"Phil?" she said, smiling.

"Pookie!" Grandpa replied back happily.

"My dear Phil!" and they gave one another a hug and kiss.

"Good to see you back!" Grandpa said back, "You're as old as I am!" the statement somewhat annoyed Grandma, as she looked at him with her eyes narrowed, "Uh… you haven't aged a day!" Good thing Grandpa knew how to charm the ladies, and both of the old couple laughed. After Grandma helped Grandpa with his luggage, they then went down to the kitchen to have some quiet snack together.

"You caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid." Grandma said. "Why didn't you call me that you've arrived at the airport, anyway? We have some cold chicken and pickles… Here's some cheese here- oh no, it won't do. There we got raspberry jam and apple tart… oh, wait, you can't eat raspberries. Ah, I have some cake. I can make you some eggs if you like."

"Just coffee, Pookie. Thanks." Grandma then made coffee for Grandpa and for herself and served it on the dining table. They talked length and breadth about Grandpa's recent trip and how Grandma handled the boarding house flawlessly. Then the talk came to something that Grandma had been planning for a long time. "So you really want to go through with your plan then?"

"Yep. I've wanted to do it since… well, you know. All the arrangements are made, Phil."

"Ya know, Arnold suspects something." Grandpa said.

"'Course he does, Phil." Grandma replied back, "He's our grandkid for corn's sake."

"You won't tell him, will ya?"

"Of course not. He's too young for us to tell him my situation." Grandma sighed. The scene then changed to night, minutes before Grandma's party was about to start. Both of them were on top of the brick house, sitting and smo— chewing gum. Yes.

"Old Toby. Finest chewing gum in the country." Grandma then blew the gum that she fashioned into a ring away, to her husband and to her amazement that she actually accomplished it. Grandpa then created a sailboat with the gum, with a tooth in it, and the boat sailed through the ring that Grandma created. "Phil, this is going to be a night to remember!"

_+1 Grandma's Speechcraft skills._

---

After that stupid, seemingly pointless anti-drug reminder, we are now treated to grandma's block birthday party, attended by almost everyone in the neighborhood, lively and fun as it could get. As Grandma greeted the guests and thanked them for coming, most of the others were enjoying the food and dance to their hearts content to some swingin' jazz music from the 40s. Amongst the crowd, Arnold was there, pleased to see so many guests attended his grandmother's birthday party, indicating that she was well liked in the neighborhood, unlike his granddad. Arnold then saw his best friend Gerald sitting alone, looking sidelong at Phoebe, dancing.

Arnold then sat next to Gerald, and said, "Go on Gerald, ask Phoebe for a dance!"

He got the cold feet, and replied unsurely to him, "Nah… I think I'll just have another Yahoo."

"Oh no, you don't! Go on!" Arnold then pushed Gerald to the dance floor and into Phoebe's arms. Arnold laughed aloud, seeing his friend jittery like that. Grandpa was sitting with the other neighbors, talking about the recent football match. Grandma on the other hand, entertained Arnold's female friends with some story that she elaborately create.

"There I was, at the mercy of three monstrous hyenas! And they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to have us for dinner, into a cub sandwich, or whether they should order us to go."

Helga and the others weren't buying the story at all.

Grandma continued, "They spent so much time arguing the hoo-hahs and brouhahas, that when they were still arguing, Kimba and I made a run for it!"

"Uhh… no offense, but isn't this story of yours a rip-off from the Lion King?" Rhonda asked. "It's not nice to infringe copyrights you know, since we're under Paramount's contract and all…"

Nadine walked up to her and whispered, "Rhonda… and it's not nice to upset the nice old lady, either."

"Man…" Helga spoke quietly to Phoebe, "I hope when I got old, I won't be as loony as she is." The evening was getting late, and the guests and the merrymakers were getting tired. So, in order to close the merry celebration, Grandma then walked up to the stage, with applause from the neighbors accompanying her.

"Speech, Pookie, speech!" Grandpa shouted. And everyone followed Grandpa, asking Grandma to make a speech.

Grandma was now in the middle of the stage, and waited for everyone to quiet down as she waved dismissively. "My dear friends in the neighborhood!" there were cheers, "Harvey, Vitello, Green!" after each names mentioned, there were cheers on this point on, "Kokoshkas, Potts, Mr. Hyunh! Wittenbergs! Hyerdahls, Johanssens! And the others I didn't mention! Sorry!"

The crowd laughed.

"Today is my eighty first birthday!" she exclaimed.

"Happy Birthday!" came the answer from the crowd.

"Eighty one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable neighbors!" again, cheers from the neighbors erupted, "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." The statement was then responded with a dead silence from the crowd, wondering what the old lady was talking about. Grandma then looked at her neighbors and family with sadness. "I, uh, I h-have things to do." She said, while fidgeting with the Ring behind her back. "I've put this off for far too long." She continued, walking to a rope hanging nearby. "I regret to announce this is the end. I am going now. Goodbye." She then pulled the rope down, and the curtain fell. It then rose up again, but Grandma wasn't there, much to the crowd's surprise.

_+1 Grandma's Speechcraft skills._

_+1 Grandma's sneaking skills._

Grandma actually went backstage and climbed the fire exit to her room. After she entered her room, she laughed to herself, flipping the Ring, caught it back and put it into her pocket. Suddenly, she saw a silhouette in front of her, saying, "Think you're pretty smart, aren't ya, Pookie?" the silhouetted figure flipped the switch on, revealing himself to be Grandpa.

"Oh, come on, Phil! It was just a bit of fun! Oh, you're probably right, as usual. You will keep an eye on Arnold when I'm gone for a while, won't you?"

"If my eyes still hasn't failed me." Grandpa replied back, shrugging.

"I've brought everything that I could."

"Even that Ring of yours?" Grandpa asked back.

"Of course I'm bringing my wedding ring along with me, Phil!" Grandma replied back.

"No, I mean the _other_ Ring."

Grandma stopped at her tracks, and slowly she put her hand inside her pocket, and took the ring out, caressing it. "Heh, isn't that, isn't that weird though? Yet, after all why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?"

"Well, I think _you_ should leave it." Grandpa was beginning to sense something was wrong.

"No!" Grandma opposed back angrily, "Now that I've think about it, I don't feel like parting with it! Its mine, I found it, it came to _me_! It's mine! My own, my preciousssssssss." She said, caressing the Ring.

"Precious?" Grandpa raised an eyebrow, "Are you… hiding something… or someone, behind me?"

"Bah! What business is it of yours what I do with my own things? You want the Ring to yourself!"

"POOKIE!" Grandpa grabbed her by her shoulders, trying to snap her back, "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU? IT'S JUST A STUPID DECODER RING!" That got her to snap back.

_+1 Grandpa's intimidation skills. _

After collecting herself up, she nodded to her husband and said, "You're right Phil. I have to leave the Ring here. It's pointless to bring it to the place I'm going." Grandma then pulled the Ring out from her pocket. She stared at it on her palm, and then slowly and with a great effort turned her hand, allowing it to slip off her palm. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Grandma ran out the door, went a few paces, then stopped and lifted her head. She looks relieved. "Goodbye, Phil."

"Goodbye, Pookie. Enjoy your stay there." After they gave each other a kiss, Grandma then flagged a taxi and went in. After watching Grandma away in the cab, Grandpa then went into the house but stopped for awhile in front of the Ring. He tried to pick it up but stopped short when the image of the CEO flashed in his mind, and cringed at his ugliness. He rose up and proceeded to sit in front of the TV, watching some stupid infomercials. In his mind, he wondered what the heck his wife was talking about.

"_It's mine! My own, my preciousssssssss."_

"Riddles in the dark…" Grandpa mumbles to himself, "Ooh, a non-stick barbecue grill! Gotta buy me one of those!" Just then, Arnold was heard entering the room.

"Grandma? Grandma?" he called for his grandmother. He saw the Ring on the floor and picked it up. He then noticed Grandpa by the TV watching infomercials, and approached him. "Grandpa?" but there was no answer from his grandfather.

"Grandma's decoder ring, she's giving it to you. She's gone to the hospital. I hope you put that Ring somewhere out of sight." He then got up to leave in haste.

"Hospital? Grandma?" Arnold asked worriedly, "And where are you going?"

"Don't worry about your Grandma, she'll be fine. And I'm going to the library. There're some things that I hafta know."

"Things? What?"

"Questions. Questions that need answering!" Grandpa replied back as he made his way to the front door.

"Grandpa, it's eleven o'clock in the evening!" Arnold replied back, "The library is closed. You can start your search for whatever you're looking for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah…" Grandpa replied back, in realization that his grandson was correct. "I guess I can go there tomorrow. Say Shortman, wanna watch some wrestling on pay-per-view?"

_Main Quest Added (Grandpa) – Go to library and seek information about the Ring tomorrow. _

---

_The next morning…_

Curly slowly opened his eyes after a long sleep. In his blurry sight, he could see three big kids looking down at him. He immediately widened his eyes in shock.

"Wakey, wakey, punk!" one of the large kids grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him up from his bed. Using the fire escape, they brought Curly to the back alley and started to torture him for information.

"The Sunset Boarding Houseses! Arnold's grandparentsess!" Curly cried in agony, after he couldn't bare another minute of Blue's Clues, being forcefully played in front of him.

"CAN YOU HELP TICKITY TOCK FIND HIS _SOUL_?" said Steve the devil. "MWAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed evilly as fire rose furiously in the background.

The gate of a shanty looking clubhouse opened, and let loose a team of fifth graders riding on bicycles to find the ring. Meanwhile, after a long bus trip, Grandpa arrived in front of the library and went over to the 'Newspaper archives' section. He was looking for specific news from the 30's to prove his theory was right.

_The year was around 1930's. After three years of loss and an unsuccessful marketing ploy, The Honeybees Cereal Corporation finally went belly-up yesterday and filed for bankruptcy. Investors mostly blamed company's demise on the costly advertisement ploy of using decoder rings in a contest as an act of desperation to win the hearts of consumers. The decoder ring was unique itself, as it was wonderfully and skillfully created by hand and only one hundred of them were made. One child was reported saying, "I will never let the precious slipped from my hands!" The rings had some sort of markings on, if you look clearly._

_Quest Updated (Grandpa) – Warn Arnold as soon as possible about the dangers of the Ring._

Grandpa's reaction was strong, and he was in shock. "My word…"

Back at the neighborhood, a few blocks from Arnold's residence, a group of large fifth graders on bikes stopped in front Chocolate Boy, asking for directions to Arnold's house. "Arnold… Sunset Arms…" one of the fifth graders said morbidly.

Visibly fearful with the confrontation, Chocolate Boy nervously responded, "Arnold? I-I know him. Yeah. Chocolate. He's there, a-at V-Vine Street. Few blocks down. Chocolate." He then pointed the way, and ran away quickly. The fifth graders continued on their journey.

The scene then changed to in front of the Sunset Arms where Arnold and Gerald said their goodbyes to each other, after playing in the park. He then came up to the stoop, and opened the door. Suddenly Grandpa emerged from the back of the door and grabbed his shoulder from behind, startling him.

"Grandpa, you scared the daylights out of me!"

"Where's the Ring? Is it safe?" Grandpa demanded again.

"Huh? What?"

"The Ring! THE RING!" Grandpa reiterated again. Arnold then led him to his room and opened a small drawer under his computer and began his search for the ring. He then handed Grandpa the Ring as he took a magnifying glass out from his pocket.

Arnold was a bit alarmed, "Grandpa, what are you doing?"

"Look at this." Grandpa said, showing Arnold the markings on the Ring. The markings were written in Chinese.

Arnold shook his head, couldn't comprehend the Chinese characters, "It's some form of Chinese. I can't read it."

"It's Mandarin." Grandpa explained, "In English, it says 'Product of China' 1933. But in the 30's, the country was being hit by the Great Depression, and labor was scarce. If they actually contracted a company outside the States to make this ring for them, it'd be economically suicide due to the high production and import cost! _This_ is the Honeybees Cereal decoder ring! I was a lad when they made this… only about a hundred were made, handcrafted, expensive, and extremely rare by now. Now it's an antique. And do you know how much antique stuff is worth nowadays?"

"Grandma found it, somewhere near Curly's house." Arnold said back.

"Yeah… for three days The Ring lay quiet in your Grandma's… place that you _really_ don't want to know. It made her crazier, and wackier. That's why we need to get rid of this Ring, by selling them to an antique dealer or something. If this is the real deal, Arnold: think how much money we can get from it! We can repair the house, go on a vacation and do lots of stuff to our hearts content!"

"That is so awesome!" Arnold exclaimed. "I have to tell everyone about this!"

"No! Don't tell everyone! Only to your closest friends." Grandpa replied back.

"Right!" Arnold said back, "No one knows it's here, do they? Do they Grandpa?"

"I don't think so. I looked everywhere for the creature Curly. But the fifth grader kids found him first. I don't know how long they tortured him. Amidst the endless screams and Steve's torturous voice, they discerned six words:"

Then there was a flashback where Curly was tortured, _"The Sunset Boarding Houseses! Arnold's grandparentsess!"_

"My name… our house." Arnold replied back worriedly, "That would lead them here!" he began to panic, "Take it Grandpa! Take it! The fifth graders are going to kill me for sure if they know the Ring is with me!"

Grandpa then smacked his head, "What are, ya? A wuss?" he said back angrily, "Be a man! Stand up to those bullies! The Ring is given to you so it's your responsibility to bring it to the antique store!"

"B-But…" Arnold answered back nervously, "where? I don't know any antique stores. What should I do?" Accompanied by his grandfather, Arnold then began to pack his school backpack with necessities like lunch money and… lunch that his Grandpa hastily made.

"Make your way to Slausen's." Grandpa replied back, "I'll be waiting for you there."

_Main Quest Added (Arnold) – Go to Slausen's to rendezvous with Grandpa._

"And where are you going?" Arnold asked again.

"I'm going to see an old rival of mine. He is both dumb and stupid, but he'll know what to do. Walk only on the sidewalk. And don't cross the street, unless there's a crossing, you get that, Shortman?"

Arnold nodded, understanding his grandfather's advice.

Grandpa then suddenly chuckle to himself, smiling softly, "My boy Arnold. You've grown up aren't ya?" Arnold smiled embarrassingly. "You're ready to take on the world." Suddenly, the both of them heard a crashing sound outside the window. "Get down!" Arnold nodded, and he immediately dropped to the floor. Grandpa went closer to the window and peered cautiously outside. Surprised at what he saw, he dragged the person in to the house and plopped him on the sofa. "Darn it Gerald! What are you doing back there?"

"H-hey! Take it easy, man!" he replied back nervously, "I was just looking for some ten bucks that I accidentally dropped from my pocket!"

"Yeah, and it _magically _find its way to the garbage cans, right?"

"Hey, I ain't hearing nothin', okay?" he replied back.

"Yeah, right!" Grandpa replied snidely, "What didja hear? TALK!"

Gerald was so scared at Arnold Grandpa that he just let it all out, "N-n-n-nothing important. I only heard some things about some expensive Ring and something about it is possessed… Please, Grandpa Phil sir, don't hurt me. Don't make me scrub your toilet…"

"Nope, maybe not. I have thought of a better use for you…" Grandpa said, smiling snidely at him.

_+1 Grandpa's persuasion skills.

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_Well, how was it? Thank you for reading and please leave a review.


	3. The Journey Begins

_Author's Note: _Well, the people have spoken, and I will continue to write this until I'm either finished with it, or I get tired of it. Here's the third chapter everyone:) Also, I've been a fan of Billy and Mandy for quite sometime now, and if you pay close attention, there are some references to the show in some of the part of this fic. DEHEHEHHEHEH

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**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

_Later…_

"C'mon Gerald! Keep up with the pace for goodness sake!" Grandpa yelled at Gerald, noticing him was falling way behind of himself and Arnold. They were in much in haste as of now, running through one block after another, "The fifth graders have many spies around us, like The Jolly Olly Man and those pesky kindergarteners." He then turned to Arnold, and asked, "Is it safe?"

Arnold then patted his pants' pocket and nodded at him. The Ring was safe in his hands, and Grandpa nodded in relief.

"Never, ever put it on your finger!" Grandpa warned his grandson, "because the fifth graders are compelled to the power of greed." They then arrived at a corner where the pedestrian light showed red. They stopped at their tracks, and Grandpa gave Arnold one last piece of advice before he set his journey on meeting his old rival. "Always remember Arnold, the ring is ours, and _nobody_ should ever get it from your hands! Now take care of yourself." Grandpa then walked away to home, leaving Arnold and Gerald alone at the corner, as they wait for the pedestrian light to turn green. They trekked through alleyways and streets. And as Arnold was about to cross a small road in front of him, Gerald stopped at his tracks, and said, "Wow…"

Arnold turned around, looking at his best friend perplexingly, "What?"

"If I take one more step, it'll going to be the farthest away from home without ever taking a bus." Gerald said, stunned.

Arnold chuckled disbelievingly, and reassured his friend, "C'mon man. We're embarking on a journey of a lifetime here. Who cares about taking some stupid bus?" As they walked away across the street and into a corner, a fifth grader emerged from an alleyway, slowly sniffing the scent of the four graders. He wasn't sure of the smell, and he just rode away. Thankfully it was the wrong direction.

_+2 Arnold & Gerald evasion skills_

---

Grandpa swiftly arrives in his old rival's residence, with the thanks of his old and trusty steed, The Packard. After ringing the bell to his rival's house many times, his rival opened the door and greeted him a warm welcome.

"Jimmy Kafka…" Grandpa said his name with a distrusting, wary tone, as he shook his hand and put a smile on his face.

"Phil… uh… I've forgotten your last name." Jimmy replied back. After that, the both of them entered the house and into the living room, and Jimmy Kafka treated his guest with some prune juice and mashed potatoes. "So what are ya doin' here ya wily old coot? I don't remember of ever owing you some money."

"It ain't like that, you senile old man you." Grandpa replied back. "Look, I need to ask you a favor. Apparently, my grandson found…" Grandpa paused for a while, looking around with his shifty eyes. After making sure there was nobody around them, grandpa put his palm to the side of his mouth and whispered, "The Honeybees Cereal Decoder Ring."

"You don't say…" Jimmy acted surprise, stroking his chin. "Are you sure? Or has your feeble brain done told you sumthin' else?"

"That's the truth. And I know you know a guy who's been looking for that ring. I've gots the need to tell him about it."

"Really now? You know, that guy told me The Decoder Ring can fetch up to 200 thousand bucks, if it's in mint condition."

Grandpa raised his eyebrow in disbelief. The price of that ring was higher than he thought. He now regretted for ever telling his friend about the ring, as it might invite trouble. He should've kept it to himself and to his grandson. "All that for a piece of plastic?" he shouted and slapped his forehead, "Well I'll be darned… all these times it was with Pookie, right under my nose!"

"For goodness sake, calm down, Phil." Jimmy said to Grandpa. "It's not too late for you to give the Ring to me so I could give it to the guy who wants that ring." Jimmy grinned, and produced his hand so Grandpa could give it to him. Thankfully, subtlety was not Jimmy's forte, and Grandpa began to suspect some ulterior motive behind his oh so obvious evil grin. Man, how Grandpa would love to punch that ugly looking guy. "It'll be wise, my friend." Jimmy added further.

"I don't have it with me. And tell me, 'friend'." Grandpa replied distrustfully, narrowing his eyes at him, "Why the heck should I give it to you? Can't I just give it to the guy you know myself?"

"It'd be better if ya just give it to me." Jimmy tempted Grandpa once more, but Grandpa, in his infinite wisdom, greatly resisted it.

"You want that money _all_ for yourself, dontcha?" Grandpa yelled accusingly at him, standing up to intimidate Jimmy. "My wife found it, so it's mine! Uh, I mean, it belongs to the family! The money is going to my grandson's college fund, but mostly it's going to get me one of those fancy flat 42" plasma screen TV that I want so much! With HD support, DVD player and 7.1 surround sound system!"

_Boss Battle: Jimmy Kafka / HP: 230 / MP: 40 / Weak against Sharks_

And then, the both of them began to fight, in a geriatric old man fight sort of way. Most of the time it looked like a boxing match, but most of the time it also looked like two sissies in a slapping match. The fight went on from room to room, and each room was left a mess as soon as they left. As time passed on, the both of them began to get tired and were unable to trade punches. Jimmy then shoved Grandpa out from the front door and yelled at him, "I always knew I can take you out in a fight, Phil! I've always had!" he yelled, thumping his chest to show his masculinity and his dominant alpha male, "Oww! My chest!" he groaned in pain, and finally he slammed the door. Still, he wasn't finished, "I'm gonna get that ring, ya hear me? Mark my words! Heck, I'll even ask my grandson to steal it from _your_ grandson!"

"Crazy old man…" Grandpa said, walking slowly to his car. "I've got to tell Arnold about this…"

_430 Experience Points Gained! Grandpa Phil LEVEL UP! - LVL 5_

_Main Quest Added (Grandpa) – Tell Arnold about Jimmy's intention_

---

Still on their journey to Slausen's, Arnold and Gerald were seen walking through an old train yard someplace in the neighborhood, passing through old and rusty boxcars and cargo containers. "Hey, Arnold! Slow down a bit, man!" Gerald said to him, "Do you hafta be so quick?"

"Oh come on, Gerald!" Arnold replied back, smiling at him. "What's the worse that could happen to us?" And then, just so sudden, Park burst through from one of the boxcars and knocked Arnold over. His best friend Robert was not far behind and he barreled out knocking Gerald over. The ball in his hand slipped out and rolled away.

_New characters add to party (Park and Robert)_

"Arnold?" Park said as he looked at the person he knocked over, "Hey Rob, it's Arnold!"

"Hey, Arnold!" Robert replied back. Gerald then shoved him away and he immediately ran to his friend, "Get ya butt off him!" he said, hauling Park off him. "You're okay Arnold?" he asked him. Arnold nodded.

"What are you guys doing here?" Park asked them.

"No, the question is, what are _you_ guys doing here?" Arnold asked, giving Robert his ball back, "You know it's not safe to play in the train yard!" he said back.

"You're being a ridiculous, Arnold." Park replied, "I mean, what's the worst could happen? There's nobody here!" Then just so suddenly, they heard a dog barking and lots of angry yelling voice.

"Who's been here?" one of them shouted angrily. "I'll get you crazy kids!" Another one replied, cocking his shotgun.

"I told you not to play in this place!" Arnold replied, "There're _hobos_ here! _RUN!_" Well aware of the danger, the four kids then quickly ran for their lives, fearing that they might get mutilated by a pack of rabid dogs or get shot at by one of them crazy hobos. They then found themselves standing before a fence. But because the lack of time of finding an opening, they had no choice but to climb over it. They then finally took asylum in a huge storm drain, away from hobos' sight.

"I think they went that way!" One of them said.

"When I've got them crazy kids, I'm gonna make them sing a barbershop quartet song and throw peanuts at them!"

All four of them let out a sigh of relief after knowing they were finally safe. But, Arnold felt some tremor in the force. His instincts said that the worst was not over yet. As Gerald, Park and Robert continued on walking, Arnold still stood inanimately while looking down the storm trench. "I think we should get off the trench…" he said fearfully, and his friends turned to him. Then, a weak, squeaky sound can be heard, and a feeble trail of breathing sound following suit, coming up the road.

"Oh noes!" Arnold said, "It's the fifth graders! Quick! Get off the trench! Into the pipe!" Arnold ran up to one of the openings lined up on the trench's walls and motioned his hand quickly to tell his friends to get in. Arnold was the last one to go in, and he slowly closed the hatch, leaving some space for him to peek out. There was a screeching noise, and the demented squeaky noise stopped.

Arnold looked up through the small gap and saw a great looking bike and Wolfgang, the fifth grader bully, sniffing out the scent of the hiding fourth graders. He then leaped out from his ride, but fell down violently after misplacing his step. He was embarrassed, but glad nobody was there to see him. But Arnold and the guys were laughing softly. The tension was raised again when Wolfgang approached the culvert, and looked around, hissing and sniffing at it. He saw nothing but darkness. He wouldn't put his hands on the hatch to open it because it would dirty his sensitive fingers.

To make matters even worse, cockroaches and rats began scurry in and out of the pipes and the guys were grossed out by them. Still, they remained silent and waited for Wolfgang to leave. Arnold was beginning to enter into a state of trance, being tempted to wear the ring as his finger strained towards it. Gerald realized this and he quickly reached over and hit Arnold on his arm, promptly startling him out from the trance. He quickly jerked his finger away from the Ring. Noticing that Wolfgang was looking away from the hatch, Park quickly threw his ball out to distract him. Wolfgang foolishly took the bait and whirled away, following the sound. Once the danger was over, the gang made a break for it and ran far away to an alley some five blocks from the trench.

_+3 Arnold, Gerald, Park & Robert evasion skills_

Whilst still catching his breath, Park asked his friends, "What was that all about?" Arnold knew why Wolfgang was looking for him, but he didn't reply back. He just stared deeply the Ring in his palm, heavy in thought.

"Wolfgang is looking for you, isn't it?" Robert asked Arnold, "Is it something he wants?"

"Look," Arnold replied, dodging the question, "Gerald and I need to go to Slausen's. I'm sorry that I dragged you into this, but if you don't want to get stuffed inside of a trash can, you guys better come with us." Robert and Park looked at one another. They had no choice but to follow Arnold and Gerald to Slausen's. Hopefully there they'd find the answer why Arnold and Gerald were being hunted.

---

_Quest Completed (Arnold and Gerald)_

It was right past afternoon, and light rain begin to drizzle. Thankfully, Arnold, Gerald, Robert and Park finally arrived at Slausen's Diner in time. They went in and sat at the farthest place from the front door. Then, a middle-aged waitress with a cigarette in her mouth walked over to them, "Kids! Four kids! What ah youses doin' heah?" she asked, "Dontcha moms make lunch for yah?"

"We're just here to eat ma'am." Arnold replied back. "My Grandpa promised me that he's coming."

"Well, ain'tcha cute." The waitress playfully pinched his cheek, much to Arnold's annoyance, "Well, this slop house ain't have much stuff like them fast food rest'raunts, but it'll satisfy ya… uh… what's ya name, hon?"

In realization that there were probably spies in the midst inside of the diner, Arnold then deliberately adopted a false name to conceal himself. "Alfred. My name's Alfred."

"_Alfred?_" All of his friends thought incredulously. Of all the names in the world he had to take that one stupid name?

"Alfred, eh?" the waitress puffed a smoke. "So, who's ya Granddad? Is he just as good lookin' as ya are hon?"

"My Grandpa's name is Phil. Where is he? He's supposed to be here now."

"Phil?" The waitress said again, tapping the ash off from the cigarette. "Oh yeah, I remember him." again, she puffed a cloud of smoke out, "Really old guy, bald, and a pair of chins that looks lak a butt. Tah cheapskate hasn't paid his tab since the 1970s." The children were shocked, and they began to produce a worried face. "But it's okay though. I ain't going tah ask ya to pay fah him." she then made ready her notepad and her pen, "So what can I get ya kiddies?"

_HP & MP fully restored!_

After having their lunch, they sat and waited for Grandpa to arrive. Park was getting bored, so he got up from his seat and went to a shiny new slushie machine at the counter. Arnold meanwhile, was getting worried, and so was Gerald.

"He'll be here Gerald. I know it. Grandpa won't break his promise." Arnold said unsurely to him.

Park then came back from the counter with a fresh new slushie in his hands, which he set down on the table reverently.

"What's that?" Robert asked.

"This my friend, is a Big Glug." Park replied, smiling at him.

"It comes in those _enormous_ cups?" Robert replied incredulously, pointing at it. "That's it, I'm getting one!" he exclaimed, and happily he skipped to the counter.

Gerald was feeling uneasy, after he noticed a person who kept staring at them since they arrived. He was very alarmed by his presence, and decided to tell Arnold about it, "That guy keeps staring at us ever since we got here. What up with that, yo?"

Arnold was alarmed himself. Though he felt something familiar with that person, but he couldn't quite place his finger on. He had that familiar green hat, but it couldn't be Sid since he wears it properly, and not backwards like Sid should. The mysterious stranger then lowered the shade down, making his appearance even more ambiguous. Arnold then saw the waitress walking towards him, and immediately called her, "Uh, ma'am? That kid in the corner, who's he?"

"That kid with tah green baseball cap? Dunno." She shrugged. "He keeps telling everyone he's a 'Vampire Slayer' fer sum reason. You kids and ya imagination…" she smiled as she shook her head, and left.

"Vampire Slayer?" Arnold said to himself. It sounded _very_ familiar to him. Where had he heard of that name before? Shrugging it off, Arnold then took the Ring out from his pocket and started to play with it. He was bored. Then he could hear a whisper, a sound, a voice that tempted him to use it.

"Hey, Arnold! Hey, Arnold! Hey, Arnold! Hey, Arnold! Hey, Arnold! Hey—" the voice said repeatedly. It sounded just as the same as his alarm clock.

"Arnold!" Somebody said his name, and Arnold snapped out from his reverie. He looked around and saw Robert at the counter, talking to the waitress. "Sure I know an Arnold! He's the bestest friend a guy could have! Sure, he may be a goody two shoes boy scout and all," the waitress laughed, "But hey, it works for us!" Arnold realized that Robert may just have blown their cover, and he immediately rushed towards the counter to stop Robert from babbling even further.

"Robert, shut up!" Arnold scolded him, dragging him away.

"Call me!" Robert shouted at the waitress. And as Arnold dragged him friend away, he accidentally slipped on someone's shoe and fell back, tossing the Ring into the air. He managed to get it back, but somewhat awesomely, it slipped onto his fingers. Shaq would've been proud. Unfortunately, the fall knocked him out cold. People began to crowd around him, gasping in surprise. There were several attempts to revive him. But even though he was unconscious, he was pretty much alive inside, and he was now in some creepy dark location with the CEO looking at him with an evil, scary look.

"_You cannot hide sonny! The Ring will return to my hands! You will never get the reward money!"_

Arnold backs away, terrified of his ugly look rather than his foreboding message. He groped for the Ring, as he was unable to tear his gaze away from his hideous eyes. He finally managed to pull the Ring off from his finger, and he finally gained his consciousness back, finding himself looking at Sid, fanning him with his cap.

"Sid?" Arnold said in disbelief, "Where did you come from?"

"I was in the diner the whole time, you idiot!" he then put his cap back on, backwards this time.

"That was you?" Arnold replied back, still in disbelief, "Man, you look _totally_ different when you wear your cap right!"

"Really? That means it works!" He then reversed his cap to the right position, with the shade in front. "I can avoid seeing if I wish. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift."

"Whoa!" Arnold exclaimed again, "You really _do_ look different!"

"What? You're scared or sumthin'?" Sid asked.

"…A bit."

"Yeah right. But I do know what you're afraid of." Then suddenly, the door to the men's bathroom burst open, and Sid immediately drew his rubber sword. Gerald, Park and Robert rushed in, confronting the still mysterious (to them) kid.

"Let go off him, man!" Gerald yelled at him, Or I'll have you, honkey!" he insulted Sid, referring to his big nose that if being pressed, it could make a loud honking sound, just like in the old cartoons.

Sid stood down, lowering his sword. "Dudes, it's me!" he then turned his cap backwards once again.

"SID?" Gerald, Park and Robert said in shock. "Man, you look _totally_ different when you wear your cap right!" Park said to him.

"Yeah, I've heard of that before." Sid replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen guys, we have to go. They're coming."

"Who's coming?" Robert asked, alarmed.

"The fifth graders."

"What?" Park replied, getting scared.

"They were once fourth graders just like us." Sid replied, telling them the origin of the Fifth Graders, "Then the Cereal Company gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their marketing strategy, thinking wearing those rings is cool, they bought the cereal without question. One by one they fell into the darkness. But their Rings aren't as valuable as the Ring in your hands, Arnold. Now they are slaves to their greed. They are the Fifth Graders, Arnold. They want the Ring to themselves. Until they get that Ring, they'll never stop hunting you."

_New character adds to party (Sid)_

After a while, they then left the diner and resumed their journey. Arnold was disappointed that Grandpa wasn't there, and he had no choice but to follow Sid, since he might have a clue to his whereabouts. "Where are you taking us man? Do you know where Arnold's grandpa might be?" Gerald asked.

"I dunno myself. But I do know someone who might know where he is."

"Really, who?" Arnold asked.

"We're going to the abandoned dockyards in the Liberty District. Gerald, you know where I'm taking you guys to."

"Of course!" Gerald slapped his forehead. He had totally forgotten the significance of that place. "Why didn't I think of it before? Fuzzy Slippers told me about it! We're going to see Bridget and her spy organization, guys!"

_Quest Updated (Arnold, Gerald, Sid, Park and Robert) – Head over to the Liberty District and meet with Bridget the Spy Girl

* * *

_Ah, finally another story to put Bridget and her spy agency in! She's also one of the most underused character in the fanfic community, sadly. So I'm doing my part expand her character - She's so awesome. Park and Robert, two of the many Hey Arnold characters that have never gotten any recognitions or lines whatsoever, will too, enjoy a major role in this story.  
Stay tuned for the next installment where the gang finally reunited once again in the Council of Bridget and set forth on a journey with the Fellowship of the Decoder Ring!


	4. The Council of Bridget

_Author's Note: _The epic story continues. I just _love_ putting Bridget in my stories. Dunno the real reason is, but I just love it. Do you want to know who plays Arwen in this story? Now here's the answer!

* * *

**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 4: The Council of Bridget

After much walking through the mean streets of The City, they began to get bored and tired. Gerald then took out a packet of cheese puffs and started to eat them. The other guys, except for Sid, went up to him and asked for some.

"Guys, we're not stopping until we got there." Sid said.

"How about lunch?" Park asked.

"Didn't we already have it just now?" Sid asked back.

"Yeah, duh!" Park replied back, "but what about snacks between meals?" Sid then rolled his eyes in disbelief, walking away.

"Dude, I don't think he knows about snacks between meals." Robert said to Park, "You know… he's…" Robert glanced quickly at Sid to make sure he wasn't looking at them or near enough to hear them talk, and whispered, "…poor…"

"Ooh…" Park replied back, nodding. They were now in front of a grocery store with various fruits displaying openly outdoors. Then suddenly, Sid tossed an apple and Robert caught it.

_Item Received: Apple. +50 to HP_

"Dude, I can hear you from a mile away." Sid smiled at them, even though his heart was somewhat bitter at Robert's comment. Robert then hung his head in shame, regretting for saying that about Sid. He then handed the apple to Park and patted him on the shoulder. Another apple flew through the air, hitting Park in the head.

"Say Sid," Arnold said, "Where did you get those apples?" he asked while munching a bunch of cheese puffs in his mouth.

"DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER EVER TEACH YOU NOT TO STEAL?" an angry somewhat overweight old man came running out from the store screaming and began to chase the kids, while brandishing an orange peeler.

_+4 Sid's Thievery Skills_

"RUN!" Sid yelled out loud, and everyone ran away from the angry old man in panic.

_+6 Everyone's Athletic Skills_

---

Jimmy Kafka's residence. The old man was in his living room, looking at the fireplace. He gazed intently at the dancing fire, contemplating about something in his mind. Suddenly, the fire turned into the shape of Benjamin Franklin, shuffling his 100 bucks money. Jimmy Kafka widened his eyes, and rubbed them. He looked at the fire again. He still saw Ben, waving the cash in front of him. "You want this, don't you?"

Jimmy nodded his head slowly. Then, the Honeybees Cereal Company CEO joined in and said to Jimmy, "Then build me an army worthy of bringing that ring back to me!" Jimmy closed his eyes, and opened them back again. All the imaginary figures were gone.

"Boy…" he shook his head violently, and wiped his face, "I _need _to lay off the coffee for a while…" After washing his face in the kitchen sink, Jimmy then walked to the kitchen table, sitting idly. He looked very haunted. And then, his grandchild walked into the room and stood before him.

"Is there something you want, Gramps? What do you want me to do?" he asked, in a deep, grave voice.

"We have work to do!" He got up from his seat, put his hand around his grandchild's shoulder, and walked out of the room. Meanwhile, Grandpa Phil was trapped in a huge traffic jam at some freeway and it would be impossible to get out soon. He could do nothing but to just look at a car in front of him painfully.

Elsewhere, Arnold and his friends were getting weary from the long journey, and asked for Sid to stop for while and rest. Sid was reluctant to agree at first, but he had no other choice but to let them have some rest first before they could continue on their journey. "This was the Great Bench of Famousness. Elvis used to sit here waiting for the bus." The guys could see a buttprint of The King on the bench.

"Wow…" Robert said incredulously, "that's a big butt…"

"Arnold, could you come with me to that store over there so I can buy some snacks?" Sid asked him, and Arnold nodded, leaving the guys to wait outside. And after Arnold done some shopping, he head back out, only to find Gerald, Park and Robert playing with the flashlight.

"The heck you're doing? Switch it off, you fools!" Arnold snatched the flashlight away from them and switched it off himself, "Switch it off! The batteries are about to die!"

"Ah, you're just being stingy with the batteries, Arnold!" Park accused back. And then, all so suddenly, a fifth grader emerged from behind, making the kids jumped up and startled. But then they realized that there not just one, but _five _fifth graders surrounding them! The vicious and terrifying fifth graders punched their fists into their palms repeatedly, smiling at the terrified fourth graders that were about to wet themselves. Gerald tried a futile attempt to back them off.

_Five Wild Fifth Graders appear/ HP 500 x 5 / MP 120 x 5 / Weak against Homework_

"Back you devils!" he screamed. He then fought with one of the fifth graders, but was swiftly thrown aside and into the mailbox. Park and Robert closed the gap in front of Arnold, but unfortunately they too were cast aside. All alone now to defend himself, Arnold backed across the sidewalk in fear. He stumbled and all of the sudden, fell, crawling backward until he was backed against a walk/don't walk pole. Immediately, the fifth grader took the opportunity, approaching Arnold while cracking his knuckles. Arnold tried to scramble back, terrified, but had nowhere to go. The fifth grader then punched him in the face, bleeding his nose. Arnold cried in pain.

_520 Experience Points Gained! Gerald LEVEL UP! - LVL 5_

_520 Experience Points Gained! Arnold LEVEL UP! - LVL 5 – HP 12/230 / MP 25/25 – Status ailment: Bleeding Nose_

_520 Experience Points Gained! Park LEVEL UP! - LVL 5_

_520 Experience Points Gained! Robert LEVEL UP! - LVL 5_

"Man, what did you do?" One of the fifth grader yelled horrifyingly at the guy who just punched Arnold, "you made him bleed!"

"I… I-I…" the guy replied back worriedly, "It was just a soft punch! I didn't mean to punch him that hard!"

"Oh crud, look at him!" Another fifth grader pointed at Arnold frighteningly, "Blood's gushing out of his nose like a fountain!" And everyone looked at kid who punched Arnold accusingly.

"It wasn't my fault!" he responded back worriedly, "How should I know his nose is that fragile?"

"I think we should run…" Yet another fifth grader suggested, and they were all unanimous because none of them want to be the one who's responsible for Arnold's bleeding nose. And at this moment, Sid just got out from the convenience store and he was totally shocked to see the scene in front of him.

"Oh, snap!" Sid said, dropping the bag of stuff he was carrying on the ground and he quickly searched some rocks for him to throw at the fifth graders. Still in pain, Arnold held his nose tightly as he rolled around the ground, yelling in pain.

"Arrgh!"

"Arnold!" And Gerald rushed to his side. "Sid, help me out here man!" And after all the fifth graders finally retreated, Sid came to Arnold's side and inspected him.

"Oh, man! This is bad!" Sid said fearfully. "We're gonna need some bandages here!"

"Grandpa…" Arnold muttered for his grandfather, "Grandpa!" he cried out. But Grandpa wasn't even remotely close to him. He was still a prisoner in the traffic jam, trapped and couldn't find a way out. Grandpa looked around, and saw some lady shouting angrily on her cellphone. This gave grandpa an idea. He winded his window down and knocked on the lady's window. The lady was perplexed when grandpa asked her to lower her window down.

Back to Arnold and friends, his conditions were still not improved. And he was getting delirious.

"Gerald, run back into the store and buy some bandages!" Sid demanded it urgently. Gerald then nodded, and ran into the store, unsure whether he had enough money to buy some. Sid then looked at Park and Robert and said, "Nadine's house is nearby. You guys stay here with Arnold while I ask for some at her house!" Park and Robert nodded, and Sid quickly bolted away.

"Nadine!" Sid shouted once he arrived in front of her house, pressing the doorbell repeatedly. There was no answer. "Yo, Nadine!" Sid shouted again, and there was still no answer. He urgently wanted to save Arnold, so he made a decision to climb up a wooden gate and hopefully he'd find an opened window so he could get in and find it himself. As he was searching for an opened window, he didn't notice a figure behind him, slowly creeping from behind, brandishing a frying pan…

_KLONK!_

And Sid fell on the ground, creating a loud thud.

"What is this? Is that you Sid? What are you doing breaking in to my house?" Nadine demanded an answer, tightly holding the frying pan. "And why are you wearing your cap right? Aren't you supposed to wear it backwards or something?"

"_Remind me never to wear my cap right again!"_ Sid then sprung up, rubbing the back of his head repeatedly, "Where were you?"

"I was…" she replied embarrassedly. "…In the bathroom… Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Never mind that! I need your help!"

_New Character Adds to Party (Nadine)_

Arnold was seen holding a tissue paper up his nose, and suddenly he sensed a light nearing him. He turned towards it, and like a vision, saw Nadine approaching. "Arnold. It's me, Nadine." She spoke softly. "I am here to help you." Sid was right when he told her that Arnold was in urgent need of help. She then applied some bandages on Arnold's nose. Still, the medical assistance was not adequate enough to heal his nose. "We need to get him to a clinic, hospital, anything! Quick!" Nadine spoke in a panicky tone.

_Arnold: Status Ailment cured. HP 1/230_

"Oh and just how do you propose to get him there?" Park replied, "Haven't you read the papers lately? The whole public transportation network has gone on a strike for a week!"

"Oh… I wish my mom was here…" Nadine sighed, "She could've driven us to the hospital. Don't you guys have any other options?"

"No…" Sid replied, getting desperately worry, "Hey, what about your bike?"

Nadine looked back at him with narrowed eyes, "Sid, I'm not going to take him to the hospital on my bike!"

"I can't believe I'm going to take him to the hospital on my bike!" Nadine let out a frustrated breath, as Arnold climbed weakly on the stand at the rear wheel.

"I'm sorry for troubling you, Nadine…" Arnold apologized weakly to his friend.

"Don't say that, Arnold." Nadine replied, "Be strong. I'll get you to the hospital as fast as I can." She then turned to look at the boys, "I saw them from my room. There are five fifth graders behind you. Where the other four are, I don't know."

"Let me bring him to the hospital. You stay with the guys." Sid replied, "I'll send reinforcements for you."

"No." Nadine protested, "I know the roads around here, and I'm the fastest rider. I'll take him."

"But Nadine, the road is too dangerous!" Sid replied, trying to change her mind.

"I ain't afraid of them." Nadine answered back, looking deeply into Sid's eye. Sid could read it, she was resolute. With a reluctant nod, Sid gave her the go. Nadine nodded back, did a wheelie to gain momentum and cycled away fast.

_Quest Updated (Nadine) – Bring Arnold to Safety_

"Nadine, ride hard!" Sid shouted at her, "Don't look back!" he could only watch as Nadine rode away, looking at her with a worrying look in his eyes. "Be safe…"

"Sid!" Gerald shouted, "What are you doing? The fifth graders are still out there!"

In the frenetic urban landscape, Nadine rode on as the fifth graders give chase. Amongst the old houses, tall buildings, zooming cars, decayed roads and wall graffiti, they rode in pursuit. Nadine cycled faster, but with the addition of Arnold's weight he was slowing them down. The bicycle was not built for two people. Then, Nadine saw an opportunity. There was a busy road up ahead, and there was a clear way in between the speeding cars. Nadine took the gamble, and it paid off. (Don't try this at home kids! Try it at a really busy junction instead!) She was safely across, but it could take awhile before the road could clear back again for the fifth graders.

_+3 Nadine's cycling abilities_

"Give him up, girlfriend!" One of the fifth graders shouted at her.

"If you want him, come and claim him! And say that to me again! I _dare _you!" Nadine retorted back. The fifth graders then pushed the pedestrian walk button and waited for the road to be safe for them. Using the wondrous opportunity, Nadine quickly cycled away, but was not in time to be at the hospital. Arnold began to slip away from the bike and fell down on the sidewalk.

"Arnold!" Nadine screamed worriedly as she jumped out from her bike and ran up to him. "Oh… don't go all unconscious on me! We're so close!" she cried, embracing Arnold tightly, "Somebody! Anybody! HELP!" Arnold's vision beginning to fade to black…

After a moment, Arnold could hear voices, and he could see an image of some grownup girl.

"He passed out just because of this minor bleeding on the nose?" she said in disbelief. "What a baby!"

---

Arnold slowly opened his eyes, observing his surroundings. He was lying in bed. In his sight, he saw his grandfather next to him, looking at him with a relief. "Didn't I tell you to stand up to those bullies?"

"Where am I?" he said, half-asleep.

"You're in a secret base of a certain spy organization, which I am not entitled to say it right now. And it's quarter after two and I've forgotten what the date today is."

Arnold got up, "Grandpa." He spoke softly.

"Yep. Here I am." He replied back, smiling. "And you're lucky to be here to, instead of ending up at a hospital. Do you know how high hospital bill costs these days? I mean, jeez!"

"Wait, if I'm not in a hospital, then who…" he tapped his nose gently, after noticing a large bandage on it, "did this?"

"Eh, some freshman medical student at the local university." Grandpa explained. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I think…"

"So… what happened, Grandpa? Why didn't you meet us?" Arnold asked.

Grandpa sighed, and replied, "Oh… I'm sorry Shortman. I was kinda delayed." Grandpa then began to flashback, telling Arnold what was his reason for not showing up at Slausen's. "I was in a traffic jam. A _huge_ gridlock. So never, ever drive in this city! Take the public transportation, it's faster. Anyway, while I was trapped in the car, I saw a lady at the side of my car talking with her phone. So I lowered the window down, knocked her window and asked if I could use her phone for a while. I called the diner to ask ya to stay put for a while but the waitress already told me that you guys had already left. And that doggone waitress kept asking me to pay the tab! Ugh! So after I finally got myself out of the freeway, I saw some girls, _college_ girls to be specific, heheh, crowding around at the sidewalk. I was kinda curious so I stopped for a while and I saw you. Then they took me and your friends to their headquarters so they can help ya out."

"Oh… so where are they, Grandpa?"

Suddenly, Gerald entered the room. "Arnold!" he screamed joyfully.

"Gerald!"

"You got me worried, you jerk!" Gerald said, and they all laughed. Sid, Park, Robert and Nadine walked in, happy to see Arnold was in good shape. The joyful scene was being observed by a college girl dressed in some sleek looking dark blue jumpsuit.

"Welcome to our humble headquarters, Arnold." She smiled at him.

"Bridget!"

---

The kids were then given a short tour around the headquarters by one of Bridget's spies. As the tour guide escorted them through various places of the base, they were being observed by Grandpa and Bridget in the security room through the cameras around the base. One of the cameras focused on Arnold, looking cheerfully. Then, Bridget said, "His nose is fully healed."

"Is it just me, or his nose kinda looks like Owen Wilson's?" Grandpa replied, stroking his chin. "I hope that's not permanent."

"Uh… yeah. Still… to come so far, still having the Ring in his Arms, he has shown extraordinary resilience to it's evil."

"Well, he shouldn't have picked it up in the first place anyway. It's a big burden, even for him. We can ask no more of Arnold."

"Phil," Bridget said, "The fifth grader army is moving, and Jimmy Kafka is amassing them to the east. He has brainwashed his grandkid with false ambitions of being rich and famous, while wanting the reward money all for himself."

"Reward money?" Grandpa asked, lifting one of his eyebrow. "I thought we're selling it to some antique store."

"No." Bridget shook her head. "My team had done some research about the Ring, and it appears we've uncovered more than we had expected. It turns out the son of the Honeybees Cereal Co. set up a successor company called The Hive shortly after his father's death. Still, all the riches in the world are not enough to satisfy him. He wants The Ring back, for historical and paternal reasons." She then took out a newspaper clipping out from her pocket and showed it to Grandpa Phil, "He asked that if anyone possesses the Ring of Power, he implores that it should be returned back, and… will be handsomely rewarded."

Grandpa read the newspaper clipping attentively. "So… how much cash we're talking here?"

Bridget looked at him back with an eyebrow lowered, "I dunno…" she shrugged, "more than you can imagine I guess… Anyway, did you know the person who slapped the CEO back in the 30's?"

"No. Who?" Grandpa asked.

"It was the great-grandmother of—"

"Ooh…! What does _this_ button do?" Iggy said cheerfully as he pushed a button on a console near him.

"Hey kid! Don't push that button!" One of the spy girls warned him, slapping his hand away. "Ugh! Why the heck did Bridget invite you anyway?"

Sid was leaning against a pillar, in a Joe Cool like pose, watching Iggy from afar, amused by his antics. Then, Nadine walked in behind him, gazing at him with a concerned look. "Why are you afraid of the past? It's not like you're your great-grandma or something."

"Same blood flows in my veins." He turned to Nadine, "Same weakness."

"Your time will come." Nadine replied back, "You'll face the same evil, and you will defeat it."

---

The following hour, inside of a meeting room in the headquarters, a meeting was about to commence where it was unofficially dubbed as The Council of Bridget. There was Arnold, Grandpa, Bridget, the kids and other ones that Bridget invited earlier sat circling around a large table.

"Kids around the neighborhood, and everyone I have the foremost respect. You are being called here to answer the threat of the fifth graders. None can escape it. Each grade is bound to this fate – this one doom." Bridget said gravely. She then spoke softly under her breath to herself, "I'm _so_ glad I'm in college right now." she then gestured Arnold to the front, "Arnold, bring the Ring to the front."

Arnold then got up from his seat, and ventured forward to the front. There, he hoisted the Ring to show it to everyone, and then placed it on the table. People began whispering. "So it is true…" Iggy spoke. "It is a gift. A gift to our enemies." He got up, pacing around the room, "Why don't we use the Ring against them? We set a trap, use the Ring as a bait, and then wham! The fifth graders are history!"

"We can't!" Sid replied, "It's too risky for us to let it slipped into the enemy's hand!"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Sid!" Iggy snapped back.

Suddenly, Stinky stood up, defending his best friend, "Shut yer hole, Iggy! His great-grandma was the one who slapped the CEO fella! Show sum respect!"

Iggy was shocked, "Omigosh, really? So this is the great-grandson of the lady who slapped the CEO?"

"That's true. He told me himself." Stinky replied.

"Stinky, please sit down." Sid asked of his friend, and he nodded back.

"The kid is right." Grandpa Phil nodded. "We must not use this Ring."

"Then we have only one choice." Bridget replied.

"So what are we waiting for?" Harold suddenly stood up and jumped on the table, lifting his big hockey stick in the air. He then strikes The Ring with full force, but got repelled back, throwing him to the ground. Even with the powerful strike, it didn't even scratch the Ring.

"We're not supposed to destroy the Ring, Harold, son of Jerry." Bridget said, after helping Harold get back on his feet. "That's why the thing is sturdy. It's supposed to last a lifetime so it can be preserved, to be a collector's item. That's why we need to return it back to its rightful owner: The son of the Honeybees Cereal Co.'s CEO at the other side of the city. One of you must do this."

Then there was a dead silence from the Council.

"One does not simply waltz into the other side of the city!" Iggy protested, "It's _way_ too far to go on foot! Besides, we need to pass through a high crime area in order to go there! Not with ten thousand kids could you do this! It is folly!"

Stinky found it hard to stomach Iggy's lack of bravery, so he stood up indignantly and replied, "Didn't ya hear anythin' of wut Bridget said? The Ring must be returned back so it won't fall into the hands of dem fifth graders!"

"And I suppose you're the one to do it?" Harold replied back angrily.

Iggy too, came into the foray, "And if we fail, what's gonna happen then?"

"I'll be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of a Southerner!" Harold retorted back, and the commotion began to start as arguments erupted amongst the Council members.

"Do you not understand that while you kids bicker amongst yourselves, the fifth grader's power grows?" Grandpa said angrily, trying to make the kids to shut up, "None of you can escape it!"

But Arnold, the only one amongst the Council, still remained seated as he watched The Ring uneasily, as the angry figures of The Council reflected on its surface. The intensity of the arguments increased. Slowly, determination dawns on Arnold's face. He stood up and took a few steps toward the arguing council, trying to make his voice heard above the commotion. "I will take it! I will take it!"

And the argument suddenly died down. Grandpa closed his eyes as he hears Arnold's statement. The members of The Council slowly turn towards Arnold, astonished at his remark.

"I will take The Ring to the CEO's son guy. But… I don't know where his office is …"

Grandpa chuckled slowly at his grandson, and he then walked towards him. "I'm going to help ya out, Shortman. I mean, you are my grandson and all." He then placed his hand reassuringly on Arnold's shoulders.

Sid too, wanted to help his friend out. He nodded approvingly, and said, "I'm gonna help you man. You have my rubber sword."

Stinky stood up, "And my slingshot." He said, walking towards Arnold.

"And my HOCKEY STICK!" Harold said enthusiastically.

Iggy walked over to them and said, "Eh, what the hey, I guess I'll join your guild too."

Suddenly, Gerald spoke to them, "If Arnold's goin', then I'm goin' too!" Arnold smiled at him, and they did their secret handshake together.

Park and Robert too, wanted to join in, "This is interesting! We're coming too, whether you guys like or not!"

"I mean," Park added, "you guys need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest thing! I should know. I've being playing WoW, you know."

"Nine companions…" Bridget said, nodding approvingly. "So be it! You shall be The Fellowship of the Decoder Ring!"

"Awesome!" Park exclaimed, "So uh… where are we going?"

_New characters add to party (Stinky, Harold and Iggy)_

_Main Quest Added: Return the Decoder Ring Back to its Owner

* * *

_I heard that a long time ago someone paired Sid-Nadine in his/her story, and I just picked it up from there. Not much of a big surprise, really. And it seems Arnold took a lot of beating in this chapter, but... that's what you get for being the Ringbearer. Well, thanks for reading and please leave a review.


	5. The Sewers of Maria

_Author's Note: _Sorry guys, I was kinda busy these past few weeks, and I couldn't find the time to write this stuff. And... I'm kind of losing interest in writing Hey Arnold fanfics now, since I have set my eyes on other shows like _Avatar_ and_ KND_. But, I'll try to finish this thing off. There's no turning back. :)

* * *

**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 5: Sewers of Maria

_The next day…_

The gang grouped back at the headquarters, after a restful sleep back at their homes. But before they set forth on their journey, the party had to take a detour first to the hospital. Arnold and his grandfather requested to excuse themselves for a while so they could visit Grandma there, but everyone insisted on following them since they were afraid of the fifth grader's wrath. As they entered the hospital, many people thought that all of the kids were Grandpa's grandsons because there were some many children walking along with him. Grandpa shook his head and told them that his son was not _that_ fertile and they were just friends of his only grandson. Grandpa's response drew some sympathized nods from them and they hoped and prayed that Grandpa's son would give him more grandchildren. If Miles was with Grandpa right now it'd be a totally embarrassing moment for him.

As the rest waited at the lobby, Grandpa and Arnold went up to see Grandma, lying on the bed, but she looked absolutely well. Arnold went closer to her and noticed something noticeably different about his grandma. He asked:

"Grandma… you look… younger than usual." He said, absolutely overwhelmed at grandma's metamorphosis. "What did you do to yourself?"

Grandma could just laugh heartily at her grandson, "That's why I don't want you to worry about me, Arnold. I went to the hospital just to get some Botox injections onto my face." She smiled at him. "C'mon, you can touch it." grandma added as she poked her cheeks several times. "See? The skin's still smooth!"

"Uh…" Arnold replied back, slightly disgusted, "Maybe later, Grandma."

"Boy, you sure look different Pookie!" Grandpa said happily, "You look 40 years younger!"

"That's what I intended, Phil." She smiled back at her husband as she purred at him. Grandpa purred back. Arnold was getting uncomfortable.

"Uh…" Arnold said, getting more and more uncomfortable looking at his grandparents.

"Hehe, sorry Arnold." Grandma replied. "The doc said he'll probably let me out of the hospital tonight, so can I have your spare key?"

_Item lost: Spare Key_

"Where's yours, Grandma?"

"I must've forgotten it. I may look young, but my mind is still as old as before."

Arnold nodded back, and he put his hand into his pocket and grabbed a handful of everything inside it. In between the keys, loose change and lint, Grandma saw the Ring on her grandson's palm.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed, "M-my old ring! Arnold… I'd… really like to hold it… before you go…" Noticing something was amiss, Arnold closed the Token Ring with his fingers and pull it away. Grandma then got angry, lashing out at Arnold. "RARR!" Her wrinkles on her face were visible once again. The startled Arnold backed away to his grandfather, terrified at his grandma. But Grandma soon slowly regained her composure, and began weeping. "I-I'm really sorry Arnold… I'm sorry that you have to carry this burden. I'm sorry for everything!" But Arnold, a good grandson he was, walked back to Grandma and gave her a warm hug.

---

The Fellowship then departed from the hospital. They traversed through roads, hills and traffic crawls on foot as public transportation were on strike and Grandpa's car broke down all of the sudden. Feeling tired, they then paused at a local pizza joint, where they could regain their strength. "At this rate, we should be at The Hive anytime soon." He explained to the kids while pointing on a location on the city's road map. "With any luck, the construction site on this road will be put on hold and we can travel through it to cut time. Then we turn right and head straight to their headquarters."

"Excuse me _sir_, but are these your grandkids?" a teenaged female employee said angrily to Grandpa while grabbing Iggy, Robert and Park by their shirt collar. She had a happy looking 'Hi! My name is Vicky!' nametag on her shirt. "I caught them playing swords with the mops."

"Well, they ain't my grandsons but they are with me." Grandpa replied back.

Vicky then violently shoved them to Grandpa and shouted, "Listen Gramps! I've gotten a lot of crap babysitting twerps like these and I certainly don't want things like _this_ to happen here! YOU GOT THAT OLD TIMER?"

Grandpa could just stare blankly at the teenager, "You know, you should respect your elders." He replied coolly, pointing at her.

"Arrgh!" Vicky yelled in frustration, and stomped away. "Today's gonna be ten times worse for Timmy!"

"Man, that girl got some issues." Gerald replied, looking at her with one of his eyebrow lowered. Just then, a group of kindergarteners was seen running outside the pizza joint. They could see the kindergarteners through the glass window.

"Spies of the Fifth Graders!" Sid said grimly. "The 'hood here is being watched. We gonna have to take the East Side neighborhood."

---

Reluctantly, they had to turn around and headed for the East Side neighborhood, arguably one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city. Within a few blocks from their destination, Arnold accidentally looses his footing and fell down, and the Ring flew out from his pocket. He quickly got up and tried to find it, but he couldn't locate it. But Iggy found it at a crack on the sidewalk, picking it up. Sid saw what he did there.

"Iggy… give it back…" Sid warned.

Gazing at the Ring, Iggy replied, "It's kinda weird isn't it? We hafta suffer so much over this one small… thing."

"Iggy!" Sid snapped, "Give it back to Arnold, man!"

Iggy chuckled weakly, and gave it to Arnold, "Here. Like I care." He then walked away, as Arnold looked on suspiciously. Eventually they arrived at the East Side neighborhood, and to their surprise, there were thousands of cops setting up barricades to the entrance of the neighborhood. Grandpa approached one of the busy cops and asked:

"What's going on Officer?"

"We've got a tip there's going to be a riot to protest the lack of public transportation. And I hear there's going to be hundreds of riots across the city too." The policeman replied, "So we can't let anyone inside. Sorry, gramps." The policeman left and proceeded to a van where some other policemen were wearing their riot gears. "Go back home where it's safe." Grandpa then walked back to the kids.

"Now what?" he asked the kids. They then turned to look at each other for ideas. Suddenly, Harold had an idea.

"I know! How about if we go beneath the city? There we can avoid all the stuff happening on the streets and we'd most probably go twice as fast!"

"Harold, I know you're crazy before, but that idea of yours is crazy beyond all recognition man!" Sid yelled at him. "What are we supposed to do? Follow along the subway tracks? Forget it! Even with the strike I'm not crazy enough to risk my life to go down there!"

"No Sid," Harold said back, "Not the subway, but the Sewers of Maria!"

"Maria…" Grandpa said gravely, "The sewers were named so by the architect because his wife was a total pain in the fanny. Sinister, cold and icky. You know who lives there now? Crazy mole people and their king!" Grandpa then looked at Arnold, and everyone followed suit, "Let the Ring holder decide." He said grimly.

The weigh of his friend's safety was suddenly put on Arnold's shoulder. Should he go across the city when rumors of violent riots are spreading, or go down to the quiet, yet still perilous dark Sewers of Maria? He looked at everyone. Everyone was counting on him to decide on the right decision.

"We'll go through the sewers." Arnold answered, quite unsurely with his decision.

"The sewers it is."

_Quest Updated: Head to the Sewers of Maria _

---

After much walking cross-city, they arrived at the embankment to the entrance of the Sewers of Maria. The door to the entrance was sort of huge, and made out of aluminum. To open the door, a valve must be turned in order to get in. But there was no valve in sight.

"Where could've the valve gone to?" Gerald yelled frustratingly and threw some rocks into a small pond nearby. Robert and Park then decided to play by throwing rock in it too. Sid was aware that the action might invite trouble, so he stopped them.

"Don't disturb the water." He warned them. Sid then left his two friends to search for the missing crank. After Sid was far enough for them, Robert and Park resumed chucking rocks into the pond.

"Use your Earthbending!"

"Found it." Arnold said, while holding a rusty old valve high in the air, showing it to them. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. And as Arnold brought the valve to the entrance, some of the guys could hear some ruffling sound in the tall grass nearby them. They began to worry.

"Hey, Stinky…" Harold said fearfully, "could you hurry up? I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Patience is a virtue, Harold." Stinky replied back. "Just give me a second and—" suddenly he heard many vicious barking noises coming from the tall grass. Other began to group in front of the entrance, scanning the area nervously. Then, a rabid stray dog leaped out from the grass, followed by many others. All of them looked like they hadn't had any food in weeks.

_Press X repeatedly to turn the valve quick!_

"CRANK IT UP! CRANK IT UP! CRANK IT UP!" Iggy yelled in a panicky tone at Stinky, and he rotated the valve as fast as he humanly could. They fended the dogs off as they attacked, but the dogs were getting more and more vicious as time pass by.

"It's opened, let's go y'all!" Stinky yelled at them, and they quickly went it. And after everyone was in, Gerald pulled the valve out from its socket and the entrance door came falling to the ground. Nobody could get in and out now. It was totally dark now, but Arnold came prepared. He brought his flashlight with him, and passed it to his grandpa.

"We now have only one choice, kids." Grandpa said. "We must face the long dark of Maria. Be on your guard. There are older and disgusting things than the fifth graders in the deep places of this place." The Fellowship carefully picked its way over the floor and up the broad steps. "Don't make a sound." Grandpa added. "It's a four hour journey to the other side. Let's hope they don't notice us passing by."

The Fellowship then entered a great sewer intersection with a walkway suspending through the air in the middle. After climbing up a flight of stairs, they then resumed onwards, looking with awe at the old abandoned fuse box and tangled telephone and electricity cables. Suddenly, Park lost his footing and slipped into Robert.

"Dude!" Robert said, putting him back to his feet. Then, on the fourth hour of their journey, the Fellowship climbed another flight of stairs to a crossroads in the sewer, and saw three tunnels loom before them.

"Now… there's something very familiar about this place…" Grandpa said, stroking his chin. "Oh, well." He shrugged his shoulders, closed his eyes with on of his hand and pointed to a tunnel with his fingers. "Eenie Meeny Miny Moe—"

"Uh, Grandpa…" Arnold stopped him, "I think it'd be safer if we wait for you to remember which way the exit is."

"Well, whatever floats your boat, Shortman." And so, the Fellowship took a much needed break for a moment. As Arnold sat, he looked down the path they walked on earlier and saw a small figure leaping from stone to stone. Alarmed and startled, he quickly walked over to where Grandpa was sitting.

"Grandpa, I think there's something down there."

Grandpa took a look, squinting his eyes, "Why, it's your friend Curly."

"Curly?" Arnold asked back incredulously.

""He's been following us for hours."

"He managed to run free from the fifth-graders!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Run, or they set him loose?" Grandpa said back. From the distance below, Curly looked up, and his large glasses pierced the darkness as he observed the company with his hateful eyes. "He has sort of a love-hate relationship with the Ring, you know. It's because of that ring it made him become what he is now - obsessed with a compulsive need for a cold, cruel, and soulless character, like the Ring."

"Oh, I thought you were describing my friend Rhonda, Grandpa." Arnold replied back. "It's kinda sad that Grandma didn't smack him when she had the chance."

"Sad? That Curly character is already sad, Arnold." Grandpa replied back. "That's why your grandma didn't smack him because she felt sorry for him. So that's why, I don't like it when you pass out judgment so easily like that, Shortman. Besides, I have a feeling that Curly fella is going to prove useful later, good or bad, before this whole dang thing is over." Curly then went back into the shadows, and Arnold sat next to his grandfather.

"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." Arnold said, sighing frustratingly.

"Well, it did, so live with it." Grandpa replied back nonchalantly, nearly callous sounding. And ever so suddenly, he got up and pointed the flashlight to the cave at the left. "It's this way!"

"How'd you know, gramps?" Gerald asked.

"I smelled Nemo's Pizza coming from this way." Grandpa replied back. "Me and Nemo gone wayyyyyyy back…" The party then headed down the left-hand passage, and soon enough they arrived to a more open space. "Let me increased the light a bit…" Grandpa said, rotating the flashlight's handle. As the light source being magnified, it illuminated a grandiose hall of slimy pillars and arched dirty ceiling that awe and yet, grossed them out.

"Eeeewwwwww…" the kids said in chorus in disgust.

"You kids are lucky." Grandpa said, scoffing. "When I was your age, I had to live in places like this during the Great Depression. It was called a shantytown. Back in the old days, we don't have any fancy-schmancy 'game videos' or branded shoes that you kids have right now." Grandpa began to tell some lame stories about his childhood to the obviously modern kids in front of him. "We all played a game of stickball barefoot for crying out loud! I can remember really clear right now…"

"Arnold," Harold whispered to him, "Tell your Grandpa to shut up."

Gerald was still in awe of the hall and said, "Now that's an eye-opener and ain't no mistake about it." The party walked through the hall, and suddenly, Harold saw a room with a dim light shining inside it. He wanted to investigate it.

"Harold, where're you going?" Sid said as he watched Harold walking to the room. Harold didn't respond back, much to the party's disbelief. They then followed Harold from behind and entered the room with him.

As the party explored the room, Robert stumbled upon an old book. It was large and battered. "Look at this, you guys." Robert said, after flipping a few pages over. Grandpa walked up to him and grabbed the book. After clearing the pages from dust and dirt, Grandpa began to read it.

"It's the maintenance logbook." Grandpa said. "_They have taken the maintenance bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but they still coming through. These people are crazy. We have to run and report to the Boss._"

As Grandpa continued reading, Park noticed an opened toolbox near a large hole. With a curious mind, he then headed slowly to the toolbox and tried to pick up some random tool inside it. And just as soon as he touched the toolbox, it fell down inside the hole, causing a very loud noise that echoes from wall to wall. Park winced at every sound it made, and then, to his relief, there was finally silence. But everyone else was angry and glared at him.

"What didja think you're doing?" Grandpa said angrily as he slammed the book shut. "Wake up the dead?" But just then, they could hear a loud horrible moaning.

"ZOMBIES!" Harold yelled frighteningly. "Quick, let's get out before we're infected with the T-Virus!"

"No Harold… they're the mole people!" Arnold said back. Iggy went to the door to take a look, but the only thing that greeted him was the sound of rocks pounding the door.

"Stay back!" Sid yelled at his friends as he drew his rubber sword out. He quickly ran to the door with steel pipes in his hands to barricade the door. Others gave him a helping hand. Because they were unarmed, Arnold, Gerald, Park and Robert quickly brandished themselves with some stuff they found on the floor - like chains and small steel pipes. Harold was determined to fight them all.

"C'mon baby!" Harold yelled like King from KoF, brandishing his hockey stick, determinedly wanting to kick butt and chew some bubblegum.

The mole people began breaking the door down, moaning "food… money… spare some… for the homeless…" Finally they broke through and the battle began as the Fellowship engaged the mole people.

_Defend yourselves for 2 minutes!_

The battle raged on, as they did whatever they could to defend themselves from the mole people that constantly went through their pockets and backpacks for money and food.

"I said I have no money on me!" Grandpa yelled as he shoved a guy away from him.

"I don't have any food on me, man! I swear it!" Sid said nervously, as he backed away slowly from the unhygienic guy, slowly creeping his hand out to him.

"Use you Earthbending!" Robert yelled at Park.

"Are you crazy? This is not _that_ show, man!" Park yelled back.

"Just throw some rocks at them, fool!" and the both of them threw some rocks at the poor, poor mole people. Two minutes passed, and finally they reached a cutscene where there was an opening from they were standing on to all the way through the door, without any mole people to stop them.

"Everyone, run!" Grandpa shouted at them all, and off they flee away to the door.

"Grandpa, where are we going?" Arnold said, while running away from their enemies.

"Quickly, to the Crossing of Hazard Doom!" The Crossing of Hazard Doom was actually a zebra crossing near the exit of the Sewers of Maria where accidents occurred frequently between a pedestrian and an automobile. The party ran out the rear door of the room as they being closely pursued by the band of mole people. It looks like they're really desperate for food. Other mole people sprung out from the floor or bolted through the door and went down a pillar like firemen sliding down on a pole. There were hundreds of them as opposed to the party that only numbered in nine. The Fellowship was being surrounded by the mole people.

"C'mon, man…" one of the mole people pleaded to them, "I'm on my way become a millionaire, so if you'd just give me some couple of hundred bucks it'd be more than enough to help me."

Arnold then took his wallet out and took some cash out, but his actions were quickly stopped by his grandfather, by asking to put it back into his pocket. Grandpa shook his head in disbelief, looking back at the guys with a disgusted face. "The only way for you to get some cash is to get a job, ya freeloader!"

The mole person looked back at Grandpa angrily, "Fine then! Someday you'll learn the joy of helping others in need! But right now…" He whistled a quick note, and all of the mole people surrounding them began to prepare themselves for a fight. The party drew their weapons outward. Just then a beam of light appeared at the end of the hall followed by a terrifying howl. The mole people, dismayed, and fled in panic to all directions.

"What the heck?" Harold said in confusion, scratching his head.

"It's the Sewer King…" Grandpa said grimly. "If he catches ya, you're gonna be his Royal Rat Groomer for sure!"

"Grandpa's right!" Arnold said, "We _do_ not want him to catch us!"

"That fella is beyond crazy! Let's go! Don't look back, run!" The party then entered a passageway, then up a slight of stairs. But, they encountered a gap on the stairs. Stinky made the first leap, and safely arrived on the other side. But it was not safe enough, as the mole people began to throw rocks from some openings at the stairs. Stinky, being skillful with his slingshot and all, attempted some shots at them, and achieved hits with each and every rock he used. Only two people left: Arnold and Sid, and the Sewer King was heard approaching ever closer. Suddenly, a big rock fell down and smashed the steps in front of Sid and Arnold, widening the gap further. With no other alternatives, they resulted to a leap of faith, and succeeded.

"To the exit! Run!" Grandpa shouted, pointing to a walkway suspending through the air in the middle that leads to the Crossings of Hazard Doom. The kids crossed the walkway, and saw the light at the end of the Sewer. Grandpa on the other hand, turned to confront the Sewer King.

"So you're the guy who keeps dropping those antique watches into my kingdom!" he said accusingly. "Well you ain't gonna get them back!"

"Keep it!" Grandpa screamed back. Just leave us alone ya dirty smelly guy!" Offended by the insult, The Sewer King tried to run up to him. "YOU CANNOT PASS!" he smacked The Sewer King with the flashlight. "I have a flashlight, and I'm not afraid to use it against the likes of you! I'm the wielder of the alkaline battery! The darkness will not defeat me, smelly guy!"

The Sewer King then caught Grandpa on both of his wrists and they pushed one another, struggling greatly.

"Go back into your hole!" Grandpa screamed at the top of his lungs. The others could only watch them helplessly. Grandpa managed to push him away and screamed, "YOU… SHALL NOT… PASS!" he then threw the flashlight at him, and hit directly on his head. The Sewer King was bewildered, stumbling around like a drunken person. Grandpa let a sigh of relief out, and turned around to the kids. But suddenly, The Sewer King grabbed one of his hand and both he and Grandpa fell down. "RUN YOU FOOLS!" was Grandpa's last words before he fell into the chasm below.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Arnold screamed distressfully. "GRANDPAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

It's kinda fun to imagine Grandpa saying those immortal words, which is, by the way, inspired me to write this story up in the first place. Well, I think the next chapter would be the last of the first part of the Lord of the Decoder Rings story, but don't fret, it will then continue to 'The Two Towers' part of the saga. Well, that's about it. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!  



	6. The Breakup of the Fellowship

_Author's Note: _This is the last chapter for this part of the trilogy. My sincerest apologies for being so late in updating this chapter because I couldn't find the time to write this one up for several weeks. I hope everything falls into order and make you happy.

* * *

**Legal junk: I don't own Hey Arnold, but Nickelodeon does and Mr. Craig Bartlett created it. But this fic belongs to me. Clear? Good.**

Chapter 6: The Breakup of the Fellowship

The Fellowship came out screaming like little girls out of the Sewers of Maria. Each and every one of them is distraught. Arnold was visibly shaken and weeping at his grandfather's 'demise.' Gerald walked over to his best friend, consoling him. And then, everyone else went up to Arnold and too, trying to console him. Sid, looking somewhat nonchalant, wiped his rubber sword clean and turned to the others.

"C'mon guys, let's go."

"Dang it Sid!" Stinky protested, offended by Sid's lack of sympathy, "give the feller a moment for Pete's sake!"

"If we don't leave soon, this place will be crawling with those mole people! Besides, Grandpa will be okay. We hafta go now! Get them up." Somewhat reluctant, they then heeded to Sid's words and got up, though a seed of hatred began to develop in their hearts.

"_Who died and made _you_ the leader?" _They each thought to themselves. Arnold was silently weeping, following the leader. After much walking, they found themselves in a somewhat familiar place.

"Stay close together guys!" Harold warned them. "I know this place. They say there's an evil witch live in this neighborhood… a rich, self-absorbed girl of terrible power. All look upon her will fall under her command."

"Hey Arnold."

Arnold could hear his name being called. He looked around but found nobody.

"Yo, up here, stupid."

Arnold stopped walking, looking up.

Noticing that Arnold stopped in his tracks, Gerald turned around and looks at him, "Arnold?"

"He just hearing things." Harold interjected. "Why am I the only one here blessed with an acute sense of hearing?"

"Apparently, not acute enough!" The voice shouted at Harold. Harold turned around to look at where the voice originated from.

"R-Rhonda?"

"Yep." She replied smirking evilly at him. She was at one of the windows of her room. "What's this I hear about an evil witch you keep saying?"

"Well, I wanted to say the b-word instead of w, but my mom won't let me cuss so—" a rock was thrown directly to his head, hitting him.

"Easy queasy lemon squeazy…"

---

So Rhonda then got out of the house and approached the guys with a warm welcome. "Arnold, your Grandma called me so I can check on you guys to see whether you guys are okay or otherwise doing this stupid quest thingy. Gosh, I swear you guys are such nerds." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, this is an important quest, girl." Gerald retorted back, "It's not like we have a Dragon Armor that adds +5 to dexterity or Combat Sandals that adds +3 to speed!"

Rhonda could only stare back at Gerald, trying to comprehend the stuff he just said, "The point still stands. Anyway, Arnold's Grandma said that there were nine people from the hospital but all I can see here is eight. Who's the other one? Where is he now?"

Arnold hung his head down. Rhonda could read the answer just by looking at his eye.

"Your Grandpa fell into the darkness, literally. Isn't it?" Rhonda asked, and Arnold nodded weakly. "All right, since it's afternoon and all, you guys are welcome to eat lunch at my place, but _don't_ abuse my hospitality!"

"All right! Rich people food!" Harold replied cheerfully as he ran into Rhonda's house with both of his arms extended high in the air. The others, on the other hand, simply walked calmly into her house. While Rhonda was delighted at first she then suddenly realized at what she had done. She smacked her forehand and said to herself.

"Oh… what have I done…?"

---

After the chaotic luncheon, the group then went to Rhonda's TV room to entertain themselves after a satisfying meal. Arnold however, was not among them. He instead walked up to a mirror to check himself. Noticing that Arnold was all by himself, she then got up from her seat and approached him from behind.

"What do you see in the mirror?" she asked.

"The Ring." Arnold replied. "It's too darn expensive for a kid like me to carry it around. I'm not that responsible enough."

_+4 Arnold's Pimpin' skills_

"It's the Decoder ring that I mentioned in class isn't it? I… have to admit too, Arnold. When I heard from Nadine that you have the Ring with you, I can't help but wanting it myself."

"But…" Arnold replied back, perplexed, "You're already rich."

"True, but you know how the saying goes: The richer you are, the greedier you get. Or something like that."

"So you admit that you're greedy?" Arnold said, smirking.

"Allow me to do a test to see whether I'm greedy or not." Rhonda replied back, smiling. She then asked Arnold to put The Ring on a table. After putting it down and taking a few steps away, Rhonda then approached The Ring with caution. She stared at The Ring intently. Bead of sweat began to roll down as she slowly moved her hand to pick up The Ring. But as the her hand came closer, she abruptly stopped, and clenched her fingers. Her image suddenly changed, and she began to run in circles, screaming:

"NO! I WON'T TAKE IT! I DON'T NEED ANY ANTIQUE EXPENSIVE RING TO RELIEVE MY HUNGER FOR INDULGENCE BECAUSE I'M ALREADY RICH! I CAN ASK DADDY ANYTHING I WANT! I DON'T NEED IT!"

She then came to a standstill, and her image turned normal. She bowed down in a fatigued state, panting for breath. "I pass the test! I'm not greedy after all!"

"Yeah…" Arnold replied in shock and horror, with his eyes completely widened and himself totally freaked out at Rhonda's unconventional test. "Your test is very loud and energetic… to say at least."

"That is why it's important for you to claim the reward Arnold."

"I can't do this alone."

"Who said you've to do this alone? You're the Ring bearer, man. You have your friends with you who'll help you in your quest."

---

Inside of Jimmy Kafka's main base of operations. Jimmy Kafka stood valiantly in the middle of the living room as he being watched by his grandchild's friends surrounding him. He was about to give a speech them. "Do you know how the Fifth Graders first came into being?" he asked. "You fellas were once Fourth Graders yourself. And after the whole school year was over, you guys are admitted to the next grade. Simple as that, but you have the stronger power against the grades below you. You are… perfected. The bullies of Fifth Graders. Whom do you serve?"

"Anyone who pays us good money to get that stupid decoder ring!" The Fifth Graders in the living room replied in chorus.

"Find those Fourth Graders. Hunt them down. Do not stop until they're found. You don't know pain and fear. You'll beat the snot out of those Fourth Graders!" There was an overjoyed response from the Fifth Graders. "But one of them carries that Ring. I don't want him to get hurt. Just bring him here. But do as you will with the others." And the Bullies of the Fifth Graders left Jimmy Kafka's home.

---

Back at Rhonda's house, the gang was again seen departing from their safe house, but not before thanking Rhonda for her hospitality, food, and some unblocked channels they just saw. "Bye Arnold. I hope you get that reward." Arnold smiled, and walked out. The rest of his gang steadily approaches Rhonda, smiling as if they were hoping for her to give them something. "And the rest of you: good riddance! At least Arnold was being a gentleman unlike you barbarians!" and Rhonda slammed the door. Angered, but they bury the feeling deep down and resumed their journey. Along the way, they teased Arnold for having such a good relationship with Rhonda.

"Bye Arnold…" Park teased Arnold, mimicking Rhonda's voice in a flirty manner.

"Can I kiss you Arnold? Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!" Harold too joined in, making kissy noises at him.

"Cut it out you guys." Arnold replied, getting annoyed.

"Man, Arnold!" Gerald laughed, "Just how many girls are you gonna get? I mean, first Ruth, then Lila and now Rhonda?" and everyone laughed after that. "Who's next?"

"I bet it's Helga!" Sid said, and everyone burst out in a fit of laughter.

"Man, that sounds _too_ desperate, even for him!"

---

It had been couple of hours since they left Rhonda's place, and fatigue started to take a toll on their body. As they walked into a new block, a majestic sight began to loom over in their eyes.

"Would you take a look at that…" Sid said in awe.

"They say those two billboards are the biggest billboard in the city!" Iggy exclaimed.

The Fellowship looked up in awe at the towering splendor of those two gigantic billboards. The two of them, stood majestically with their steel support, proudly stood on each side of the road. One of the billboard had a Yahoo soda advertisement while the other advertised a computer brand. Strangely enough, Iggy claimed that the two guys in each billboard more or less related to him, though the Fellowship doubted it.

After passing the mighty billboard, they reached the entrance of a park. As they sat on the bench to relieve themselves of their tiredness, Arnold saw Iggy with a troubled look on his face and appears to be fighting a conflict within him. Arnold himself was a bit perturbed. As they take a break, they began to have a meeting about their journey.

"Going through the park is the best and fastest choice." Sid said. "We're lucky that this park doesn't allow bicycles to get in, or the Fifth graders would've taken the advantage. We can exit through Lemming Street and from there, a straight walk to the Financial District."

"You're crazy, Sid." Harold protested. "This park is full of crazy hobos that can jump on you without warning! And after that, it even gets better! We've to go through a festering, stinking junkyard as far the eyes can see!"

"I don't see any other choice, do you?" Sid asked back, raising one of his eyebrows. "Save your strength, man. We'll move out in five minutes."

"Grr…" Harold grumbled under his breath.

"Hey, where's Arnold?" Park said, after noticing that he wasn't around.

Arnold was actually the first one to venture into the park in search of a drinking fountain to quench his thirst. As he drank, Iggy was seen approaching from behind.

"We shouldn't split up, man." Iggy said, "But you of all people, did."

Arnold looked at him back in a puzzled look, lowering one half of his eyebrow.

"I know why you wanna be alone. You're suffering from this heavy burden. There are other ways to relieve it you know."

"There's no other way, man." Arnold replied in defiance, "This is my and mine responsibility alone."

"You just want that reward money to yourself, dontcha?" Iggy raised his voice, accusing him. "You're not going to share with us, aren't you?"

"Listen to yourself, Iggy! You're getting crazy! And it's all because of this Ring!"

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Iggy screamed, and he eventually tackles Arnold.

"NO!" Arnold yelled back, trying to kick Iggy away from him.

They continue to struggle for The Ring. "Give me…! Give me The Ring darn you!"

"I SAID NO!" Arnold then gave him a kick in the face, and he quickly ran away from further and into the park. Iggy quickly got up but by the time he was on his two feet, Arnold was nowhere to be seen. Still, Iggy looked around desperately for him.

"I knew it! You're not going to share the reward money with us! You'll betray us! You're answering to your greed and your greed alone! DARN YOU! DARN YOU TO HECK ARNOLD!" and suddenly he stepped on a wayward leaf and slipped and fell to the ground. The madness of The Ring left him alone and he came back to his senses.

"Uh…? Whuh? Huh? Arnold…? Dude, where are you? Oh snap, what I have done? Arnold, where are you, man?"

Arnold ran as quickly as he could and find himself approaching a small gazebo in the middle of the park. He sat up, trying to catch his breath inside. But suddenly, Sid approaches.

"Arnold?"

"Stay away from me, man!" Arnold replied back distrustfully.

"Dude, it's me!" Sid replied back calmly, "Your buddy Sid. You know me. I'm not going to steal that stupid Ring from you."

"Yeah, right." He scoffed.

"C'mon, man. I'd stick to you to the end. I ain't going to betray you."

"I know…" Arnold replied back, finally accepting his trustworthy friend.

"C'mon, let's head back to the guys." Sid smiled at him, and left the gazebo with Arnold. But then, he saw something horrifying. A group of Fifth Graders just saw them. "Go on, Arnold." Sid said, as he unsheathes his rubber sword to fend them. "Run. Run!"

_Five Wild Fifth Graders appear/ HP 1000 x 5 / MP 320 x 5 / Weak against Homework_

As Arnold left the scene, Sid was walking out of the gazebo to confront the Fifth Graders. He gave them a half-smile, half-stagger towards them, holding his rubber sword up to his face as an acceptance to the challenge. He smacked several down, but they forced him back to the gazebo.

"Arnold! Arnold!" Gerald was searching for his best friend frenetically. The sound of the scuffle widened his eyes in alarm.

"Find that kid! Find that kid!" one of the Fifth Graders screamed.

Reinforcements have arrived. Stinky came in and blasted three Fifth Graders with his slingshot as Harold lands blow after blow with his hockey stick. Robert and Park were about to join the foray too, but stopped when they find Arnold running away from their direction.

"Arnold, where're you going?" Robert asked.

"I have to leave. I have to do this alone!"

"What?" Robert replied back in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

Park suddenly put a hand on his shoulder. Robert turned around, looking at his friend. "He has too. If he stays with us any longer, more and more will attempt to betray him." Robert and Park stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Robert finally nodded and accepted the decision why had to leave.

"Yeah…" he said weakly. He then turned to Arnold and said to him. "Run Arnold. We'll fend them off for you." Arnold nodded, and ran away. They then saw a group of Fifth Graders closing in. "Hey! Hey! Over here!" Robert waved both of his hands at them. The Fifth Grader took notice, and went after them.

"It's working!" Park said in disbelief.

"I know it's working! Run before we get stuffed in a trash can!" Robert replied back. They then run across a stone bridge somewhere in the middle of the park. At its far end, they stopped and saw the Fifth Grader Bullies closing in on them, in front and behind. One of the Bullies ran to them, raising his arms while shouting a battle cry. But Iggy came charging in, knocking the Bully back. More closed in.

Back at the gazebo, Sid, Stinky and Harold continue to fight the Fifth Grader Bullies. Stinky launched a shot at a Bully. Harold smacked another. Sid was getting slap happy with his rubber sword.

"Guys!"

"It's Iggy! he needs our help!" Sid said. And they then ran off to the sound.

Iggy was desperately trying to fend off the Fifth Graders. To his shock, Ludwig walks into view, lifting his slingshot, and took a shot at Iggy's left shoulder. He fell down on his knees, staying there. Robert and Park looked at him in shock. With all the courage they could muster, they then attacked the Fifth Grader Bullies.

But they never had the chance to strike. The Bullies lifted them up and carried them off. Iggy could only watch on helplessly. Ludwig, now all alone, walked up to Iggy and took aim with his slingshot. Iggy swallowed down and stared back at him. Just then Sid came crashing into Ludwig, denying him the shot.

_Ludwig / HP 12500 / MP 1100 / Weak against Juvie_

Ludwig and Sid fight. Sid lost his rubber sword and was thrown to the ground. Ludwig raised his plastic sword and strikes, but Sid slipped beneath and dodged the blow. Finally finding his rubber sword back, Sid then used it to bat the plastic away. Sid closed in on Ludwig and in a flurry of swordplay, stings his arm and then smacked him in the chest. Ludwig let out a painful scream, and ran away from Sid. All went calm after that, and Stinky and Harold arrived at the scene.

"Man, I didn't know you could fend off Ludwig like that!" Iggy said in disbelief.

"I didn't know I had it in me either." Sid replied back as he ran to Iggy to inspect the injury. "You're okay, man?"

"Yeah. It's a bit stings, but that's all." Iggy replied back. Then suddenly, a car stopped nearby and the window winded down. It was Iggy's mom.

"Iggy! There you are! We've been searching for you all over the neighborhood. C'mon, we don't wanna be late for our flight."

"Flight?" Stinky, Sid and Harold said in disbelief.

"Uh… yeah. Heh." Iggy replied back rather innocently, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's like this: The one week holiday kinda made my parents to go on a vacation in Jamaica. So, I really have to stop playing now. Sorry guys."

"Sheesh!" Sid scoffed. "You're one lucky kid, Iggy. I wish my family had enough money to take me on a vacation to Jamaica."

"Aw, don't be sour, man." I promise I'll bring some souvenirs or some Bob Marley CDs for you guys."

"Well, we'd hate to see ya leave, but have fun at Jamaica, Iggy." Stinky said to him, and shook hands.

"Yeah." Harold agreed, shaking his hands also. "Get me one of those limbo poles for me."

"Promise me some Bob Marley music. I'll be sure to tell the others that you're leaving." Sid requested, and shook his hands too. Iggy then boarded his parents' car and after a couple of waves, they then left the park.

---

Arnold was running quickly through the park, but was seen by Gerald. "Arnold!" he stopped, and Gerald came running after him. "Where' you're going man?"

"I'm going to the Headquarters alone. By going with you guys I'm endangering us all. That's why I have to go alone."

"Are you crazy?" Gerald snapped back. "Man, I promised your Grandpa to go with you to the end, and I intend to keep my promise! Now stop being a fool and let me go with ya before I bust your caps… or something."

Arnold smiled back, "Gerald, you're a pal. Thanks."

---

"C'mon fellas." Stinky said to his friends, "Arnold and Gerald are probably on the other side of the park now. We can catch up to them." But Sid stood still and say nothing.

"Dontcha wanna help 'em?"

"We can't help Arnold now."

"Then the Fellowship is a complete and utter failure then." Harold interjected.

Sid put his hands on their shoulders, "Not if we hold true to each other. We ain't abandon Park and Robert to torment and anguish. Not while we have strength left. We travel light. Let's hunt some Fifth Graders!"

"Now you're talkin'!" Harold smiled, laughing out loud.

---

The view of the junkyard lies upon them, and the financial district in the distance. Arnold and Gerald just stood at their spot to reflect what lies upon them. "Man, I hope they find a safer route." Arnold said.

"They'll take care of each other." Gerald replied back.

Arnold looked Gerald, smiling at him. "Gerald, I'm glad you're with me."

"I'm a bold kid, Arnold. Bold kid."

* * *

Being the last one, it is my greatest displeasure to tell you I have no intention to write the other chapters of the trilogy, like the **_The Two Clubhouses_** or **_Return of the Kid_** like I originally intended because I simply lack the enthusiams and will to continue to write the story. Not to mention I am simply not interested in writing fanfics right now. So, I am sorry for this, and I hope you understand. But hey, if you want to help me to continue this story, feel me to tell me and I'll give you my notes. That's been said, thank you for reading and please leave a review. 


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